Buckle for garters



Oct. 8 1957 B. C. SANDERS BUCKLE FOR GARTERS Filed June 30. 1953 INVENTOR Birdie Sanders ATTORNEY BUCKLE FOR GARTERS Birdie C. Sanders, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application June 30, 1953, Serial No. 365,116.

1 Claim. (Cl. 24-199) This invention relates to improvements in buckle for garters adapted for attachment to girdles, foundation garments and other articles of wearing apparel for supporting the hose.

Many undergarments are provided with hose supporters attached thereto, usually by stitching or any other permanent relation, for supporting the hose at the front and back of the leg. Frequently, such hose supporters break or become disengaged from the garment by pulling loose from the stitching or otherwise, and have long been recognized to be unsatisfactory for the purpose.

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Moreover, hose supporters are usually provided in single types, which will be attached to the hose at the front and back thereof, but difficu'lty is encountered in supporting the hose in such relation that they will retain the shape thereof and position on the leg, and also will not be subject to undue strain resulting in runs due to breakage of the threads at the point of connection of tthe hose supporters therewith.

One garter is in front that hooks onto the stocking right above the center of the knee, and the other one is in the center back right on the seam. That way, when the woman is bending her knees the pull is so great that naturally the garter has to pull to the inside of the womans thick part of her leg. By having the garters pull toward the inside of her leg, or on the outside that makes trouble. It also makes trouble with the back seam. It also makes a lot of runs in the hose. It cuts in the leg and could cause varicose veins because it stops the circulation.

it also wears out the garters on the girdle, andmakes it diflicult to sew it by hand or with .a regular sewing ma- That stops the give to the elastic. The result is very thick and clumsy. It makes it very uncofortable to sit on. r

One object of this invention is to overcome the foregoing objections to hose supporters provided heretofore and to improve the construction of hose supporters pro vided for this purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the ready detachment of a hose supporter from an undergarment without serious danger of its pulling loose in service and which does not require stitching to connect the hose supporter with the undergarment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a, buckle which may be attached or connected in any way with a 2,808,633 Patented Oct. 8, 1957 supporter may be connected thereto readily and simply whenever desired.

Still another object of the invention is to improve the construction of a hose supporter which will provide a twin connection with the hose by laterally diverging sec-,

' portions of the undergarment and hose supporter;

hose supporter or other portion of a garment for de- Fig. 3 is a view at right angles thereto, partly in section;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6, are side elevations of buckle members embodying this invention; and V Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the hose supporter.

The invention is shown in connection with an undergarment generally designated by the numeral 1, which is illustrated as a foundation garment, although it will be understood that the invention may be used on any suitable undergarment, girdle, or the like, as desired.

. Extending downwardly from the undergarment 1 is an elongated hose supporter strip 2, usually of elastic Webbing, although any suitable material may be used therefor. This elongated strip 2 forms a garter strap, the length of which will depend upon the character of the undergarment to which it may be attached, and the length of the hose adapted for connection therewith and to be supported thereby. It may be either long or short, therefore, and only one size is illustrated as :an example, with the understanding that other sizes and lengths can be used as desired.

At the lower end of the garter strap 2 is secured a loop 3, shown as substantially triangular and having a cross bar 4 at the upper side thereof, and downwardly diverging sides 5 and 6, joined to the crossbar to provide said triangular shape. The sides 5 and 6 are shown as straight respectively, although they may be curved somewhat in the manner of a D-ring if preferred. a

Straps 7 and 8 extend downwardly from the sides 5 and 6 in diverging relation, as shown in Figs. 1 land 7, which straps may also be in the form of elastic webbing, if desired. The upper ends of the straps 7 and 8 are permanently attached to the sides of the loop 3, 'as by folding over and stitching, While the lower ends thereof are free and preferably have loop clasps 9 attached thereto for connecting the straps 7 and 8 with the hose.

The' twin garter straps 7 and 8 preferably are used at the front of the undergarment and should be connected with the hose at opposite sides of the knee so as to balance the pull applied to the hose to relieve the latter of undue strain, which otherwise may cause runs.

If preferred, a single strap may be used on the garter strap 2, especially at the back of the garment, inplace of the twin straps 7 and 8. Suitable adjusting means may be provided for the length thereof, as by means of a slide buckle, -generally indicated at 10, and a similar slide buckle may be used, if desired,'on each of the side straps 7 and 8..

The upper end of the garter strap 2 is preferably de tachably connected with the undergarment 1, for which purpose it is provided with a buckle 11, having detachable connection with a loop 12 secured to the undergarment 1, and depending from the lower edge thereof at the pointof connection of the hose supporter thereto. In the example illustrated in the drawings, the loop 12 is provided by a strip of fabric of secure material, folded back upon itself, and applied in embracing relation about the .lower edge portion of the garment 1, to which it may be secured as by stitching 13. This leaves a loop projecting below the lower edge of the :undergarment, open at opposite ends for detachable engagement by the buckle-lL-whereby the hose supporter may be detachablyconnected with the-undergarment -1 and separated therefrom when desired. 7 t

The buckle 11 may be stamped out of suitablemateri'al, molded or otherwise formed, and any suitable material may be used for the purpose, as sheet metal, plastic, or the like. A suitable coating,as enamel, preferablyis applied thereover to give a smooth surface 'and neat appearance, although this will not be required if the' material when formed has the desired shape and appearance.

-.As shown inFig. 4, the buckle ll isrnade substantially rectangular, with parallel arms 14 an'd 15, 'joined together 'at-oneend by a connectingportion -16, while'the opposite ends are separated with an entrance'opening 17 therebetweenn The arm 14 forms a barover which the upper end of the garter strap 2 is folded and stitched in secure relation for permanent attachment of the buckle .11 to the garter strap. The free end=o'f thearm '14 is tur ned back upon itself, with an elongated finger section 18, which preferably forms -:a longitudinal are along the length of the arm IA-and extends throughout atleast one-half-of the length of said arm. This'finger'portion 18 thus overlies theloop formed in'the garter strap 2, allowingthe latter to be slipping under the finger portion between the llatter 'and the arm l4,'but etfectively'preventing accidental separation thereof in service. The longitudinal curvature of this finger portion 18 facilitates the introduction of the buckle into theloop in the garter strap and increases the holding effected the buckle thereon when in place, tending'to retard-the likelihood-of detachment in service.

The arm forms a-bar which maybeinserted through thelop 12 on the undergannent, and has an inturned end portion 19, separated from the finger portion 18, with the opening '17 therebetween." This allows the buckle to be attached readily to the loop 12 by-introduction of the loop through the opening 17 along the arm 15,"as'the latter is introduced through the loop, after which the backturned end portion :19 retains the buckle on the loop. At the same time, the buckle may bedise'ngage'd readily'therefrom, whenreplacement is desired.

Other sizes or shapes'ofbuckles may be used,=sor'ne of which are illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, either for attachment'togarter straps or other garment-portions. In the example illustrated in {Fig 5, instead of a rectangular buckle as shown. in-Fig. '4, this is-rnore nearly'triangular inshape due to the lengthened side lfi'a'nd theconverg ing relation of the bar '14 with respect to the'ba'r '15. Suchshape may be desirable, especially when a ponverging relation of the garterstrap is desired, asfin'dicated'at 7 and 8 in Fig. -7, or where the attachment is used on the side of the undergarment with a'lateral pull on the garter strap. I v 1 Another "modification is' shown in Fig. *6 in'which the' buckle 11 is attached rigidly to aloop member- 20 .of a hose fastener, eitherjin on e'piece therewith-on-secu'red rigidly together. This may provide a' connection between the hose clasp and the garter strap -for detachrhentaand separationwhen desired.

[twill be apparent from the abovethahtliedetachable connection provided by the buckle'to "a'portiomof the other special fasteners. Moreover, in the event of breakage of the clasp, strap or other member, another'may be substituted therefor easily and quickly. When in place, the buckle will hold the member securely to the undergarment, without danger of accidental separation, although permitting detachment when desired. The buckle holds the garter strap to the undengarment without danger of swaying and maintains the proper degree of tension on the hose as well as securing the latter effectively to the undergarment. I

The twin attachment provided .by the diverging garter straps 7 and 8 maintains a balanced attachment on the hose, which will distribute thestrain' uniformly to opposite sides of the knee and thereby tend to prevent such strain as may cause a run in the fabric.

The twin garters give the woman comfort and even distribution as they will take in half of the hose in front of the knee and she will have freedom to bend her knees in anyposition. It will save on hose and on girdles. Her seams will-always'bedn placewhere'they should be. It'will save her from getting varicose veins, too.

The twin garters may be made in two styles. One style will be for the tall woman; it will start with the single garter 2 joining into theftwin garters 7 and 8. They will be detachable and adjustable for any height person.

The second .twin garters will 'be made detachable and adjustable starting the twin xgarters right from the twin buckle 11 andthe'two garters that make up the twin may be also adjustable.

Thethird garter will be a single garter for the back also could be used in frontif desired. It will be detachable and adjustable for any height person. These garters will be -very.good for evening-girdles, corselets, or garter belts.

- thereof extending substantially parallel with said arm throughout a 'substantial portion of the length thereof, one of 'said backturned portions extending throughout substantiallyone-half the length of the arm thereof with the free end thereof spaced freely from the connecting j portion throughout approximately one-half the length .undergarment formed with a loop adapted-toreceive-the buckle, enables the hosesupporter, or other garment member, to be detachably connected therewith for ready 'sep aration or replacement without requiring-stitching "or of said' arm.

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 605,108 Lindsay June 7, 1898 697,596 Anderson .Apr 15, 1906 915,089 Freeman Mar. 16, 1909 1,394,195 .Garceau Oct. 18, 1921 11,555,903 Brown Oct. 6, 1925 11,840,302. lBarnowitz .Jan. 12, 1932 1,869,601 M-artens. Aug. 2, 1932 2,059,618 Swayne, Nov. 3, 1936 2,140,164 Moffatt Dec. 13,1938 2,363,368 .Stone Nov. 2'1, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 966,293 France 'Ma.r.1, 1950 

